Putin: Has no right to ask Assad to leave power

President Vladimir Putin

Moscow - Arab Today

President Vladimir Putin said in an interview released Friday that Russia has no "right" to ask Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to leave power.

"Syria is a sovereign country, Bashar al-Assad is a president elected by the people. So do we have the right to discuss with him these issues? Of course not," Putin said in an interview with the Interfax and Anatolia news agencies.